At this year’s Watches & Wonders fair, Vacheron Constantin presented their main novelties around one stunning complication – the retrograde date. Today, I’ll be sharing with you the most complicated model – the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface. Details, live photos and prices below.
Vacheron Constantin showed three different models (in style and pricing) at Watches & Wonders 2023, each featuring a retrograde date complication. It includes the sporty Overseas moon phase retrograde date, the dressy and classical Patrimony retrograde day-date, and the Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface – the most complicated and expensive of the trio. Let’s start with the latter one.
Despite its high price point, which may make it unattainable for many of us, this watch is one of my top picks from Watches & Wonders 2023. It’s a true mechanical masterpiece for the wrist, seamlessly blending contemporary design with the brand’s rich traditions and heritage. Although it appears complex, it maintains a well-balanced and striking appearance.
Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface housed in an 18K pink gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and only 11.07 mm thick, and is fitted with a grey alligator strap secured by a pink gold folding clasp.
A retrograde date display
A retrograde date display is one in which the indicator does not complete a full turn of the dial, instead travelling along its entire measurement segment and then returning to its starting point to begin a new journey. This is generally an arc of a circle swept over by a dedicated hand. Most retrograde displays apply to cyclical time indications such as hours, minutes, seconds, days or dates. This mechanism requires great precision and rigorous discipline, particularly with regards to shock- and wear-resistance.
The openworked sapphire dial, which also has a guilloché segment, reveals in-house Calibre 2162 R31, whose retrograde mechanism plate is highlighted by a slate grey surface treatment, achieved by a succession of thin galvanic layers. It is further enhanced by vertical hand-brushing on the upper part, its surface having been smoothed with a dedicated abrasive serving to create subtle light effects, as well as a hand-guilloché lower part. The retrograde date display, complemented by a tourbillon, thus gains added depth in an ultra-contemporary yet very watchmaking style. Stylised in the shape of a hollowed-out Maltese Cross, the tourbillon features a set of refined and complex finishes: the inside of its carriage is hand-bevelled, its cone-shaped transversal bar is hand-polished to give it a mirror-like gleam close to perfection.
Proudly bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, the Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface watch is driven by a 242-component in-house movement. Calibre 2162 R31 revisits the concept of High Watchmaking by adapting it to modern times with its NAC slate grey finish, 72-hour power reserve and decorated gold peripheral weight.
The price for the new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface is around €200,000.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface. Technical Data.
| Reference | 6010T/000R-B638 |
| Calibre | 2162 R31 Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin Mechanical, self-winding 31 mm (13½”’) diameter, 6.25 mm thick Approximately 72 hours of power reserve 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour) 242 components 30 jewels Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece |
| Indications | Hours, minutes, small seconds on tourbillon carriage Tourbillon Retrograde date |
| Case | 18K 5N pink gold 41 mm diameter, 11.07 mm thick Transparent sapphire crystal caseback Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 metres) |
| Dial | Openface, assembled in four parts: – 18K gold slate grey openface plate with an hand-guilloché upper-part, surrounded by an opaline flange with railway minute-track – 18K gold applied hour-markers – Sapphire glass – 18K gold tourbillon second’s ring 18K 5N pink gold hour & minutes hands 18K gold blackened date hand with white crescent |
| Strap | Grey Mississippiensis alligator leather strap with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle finish, large square scales |
| Buckle | 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp Polished half Maltese cross-shaped |
| Price | around 200,000 eur. |
More details about Vacheron Constantin watches on www.vacheron-constantin.com.
